Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 26
देवाः वैकुण्ठगमनम् तथा विष्णोः अवतारस्तुतिः | Devas Go to Vaikuṇṭha and Praise Viṣṇu’s Avatāras
लक्ष्म्युवाच । अहं ते वल्लभा नाथ भक्ता यदि च सर्वदा । तत्कथं ते मम भ्राता युद्धे वध्यः कृपानिधे
lakṣmyuvāca | ahaṃ te vallabhā nātha bhaktā yadi ca sarvadā | tatkathaṃ te mama bhrātā yuddhe vadhyaḥ kṛpānidhe
ลักษมีกล่าวว่า “ข้าแต่นาถ หากข้าพเจ้าเป็นที่รักและเป็นภักตาของพระองค์เสมอมา แล้วไฉนพี่น้องของข้าพเจ้าจึงต้องถูกสังหารในศึกนี้เล่า ข้าแต่ขุมทรัพย์แห่งกรุณา?”
Lakshmi
Tattva Level: pashu
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Lalitā
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse highlights a central Shaiva theme: personal devotion and divine compassion do not cancel the workings of dharma and karma. Lakṣmī’s question frames the tension between bhakti-driven intimacy with the Lord and the impartial moral order that governs outcomes in conflict.
Addressing the Lord as “Nātha” and “Kṛpānidhi” reflects Saguna devotion—relating to God as a compassionate, responsive person. In Shiva Purana spirituality, such devotion matures when the devotee also accepts the Lord’s governance of cosmic law, which Linga-worship symbolically represents as the steady, impartial axis of dharma.
A practical takeaway is to pair heartfelt prayer with surrender: worship with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating that the Lord’s compassion operates through dharma, not merely through personal preference.